The first lady, during an appearance on the “Tonight Show,” cajoled Leno into nibbling on apples, sweet potato fries and a pizza made with eggplant, green peppers and zucchini, breaking his aversion for all-things-healthy in his diet.

Leno once told a magazine he had not eaten a vegetable since 1969, and he insisted he tasted his last apple in 1984. That did not dissuade the first lady, who's promoting her "Let's Move!" campaign to get kids excited about fitness and healthy eating habits.

Earlier, Obama poked at him in a Twitter post, hinting she'd "get Jay to eat some veggies" on the NBC show.

He did.

"That does smell very good. I assume this is sausage-pepperoni," the comedian quipped as he eyed the pizza made with a whole-wheat crust.

She convinced Leno to dip an apple in honey made from beehives in the White House garden: "It will help it go down easier," she assured him.

"White House honey? That sounds bad," Leno told her. "You know, with a different president that could mean a whole different thing, 'a little White House honey.'"

The first lady is on a two-day swing through California where she'll promote her initiative while attending two events to help Democrats raise money for the upcoming elections.

She told Leno she's not doing anything special to prepare for what's expected to be a tough re-election campaign for her husband, President Barack Obama.

"You know, there's really no way to mentally prepare for it. You take each day as it comes," she said.